War films are a popular genre of film. Many people become fascinated with trying to understand how these huge events in history happened, and the dramatic stories of the people who were there.
The genre includes some of the greatest films of all time, including Saving Private Ryan, The Great Escape, Schindler’s List, Apocalypse Now, Full Metal Jacket, and The Bridge on the River Kwai. But there are some which don’t quite cut it.
Collider have ranked the top 10 worst war movies of all time – and no fewer than three of them star Nicolas Cage.
10. Alexander (2004)
Directed by Oliver Stone, this biographical film isn’t quite up to the standards of his usual output, such as JFK and Natural Born Killers. With a running time of a massive three hours and 34 minutes, the film cannot be faulted for its ambition. It covers a wide period of history and follows the life of Alexander the Great. But it does not live up to its namesake and feels a little all over the place, despite its starry cast, featuring Colin Farrell and Angelina Jolie.
9. Ambush at Cimarron Pass (1958)
This film is only 73 minutes long, and still feels like a bit of a slog to sit through. With direction from Jodie Copelan, Ambush at Cimarron Pass is a bland blending of war and Western genres, it follows various soldiers banding together to fight against numerous Native American warriors. It stands out for being one of Clint Eastwood’s earliest starring roles. It’s an old-fashioned film that will probably put you to sleep.
8. Cavalcade (1933)
This is an interesting one as Cavalcade did pick up and Oscar for Best Picture. However, it feels like a drag to get through, and there are plenty of films from the 1930s that hold up a whole lot better. Frank Lloyd’s movie takes place over several decades, starting at the very end of the 19th century and ending in the early 1930s, covering the Second Boer War and World War I .
7. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin (2001)
Nicolas Cage has appeared in a surprisingly high number of war movies that aren’t particularly good – and this is one of them. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin is about a love triangle. After her husband goes off to fight in World War Two, a woman falls in love with another man stationed nearby: the titular Captain Corelli, played by Nicholas. John Madden’s film is melodramatic and doesn’t draw the line between silly and funny very well.
6. Jarhead 2: Field of Fire (2014)
Directed by Don Michael Paul, Jarhead 2: Field of Fire was a film that never needed to happen. 2005’s Jarhead could go down as one of the most underrated war movies of all time, yet it was somewhat overshadowed by the release of three direct-to-video sequels released throughout the 2010s. The first, and arguably worst, of these, is 2014’s Jarhead 2: Field of Fire. It’s a confused yet generic war film.
5. Missing in Action (1984)
When judged as a war movie, Missing in Action, doesn’t go down very well at all. Directed by Joseph Zito and starring action icon Chuck Norris, the film is technically shaky throughout. There are a number of explosions, guns fired and other acts of violence committed, but it’s all captured quite lifelessly and ends up feeling repetitive.
4. Time to Kill (1989)
Somehow, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin is not the only time Nicolas Cage has played an Italian soldier in a movie. This film sees him hurt and separated from his fellow soldiers, yelling, screaming, and committing heinous acts along the way. Time to Kill, from director Giuliano Montaldo, feels like an exploitation film, but not a good or fun one.
3. Air Strike (2018)
Directed by Xiao Feng, Air Strike stars two well-known American actors, Bruce Willis and Adrien Brody, though ultimately was a Chinese production. It’s a story about an American pilot training people in China during World War Two. Air Strike barely feels coherent, stringing together one tedious scene after another, it feels like it’s been done before.
2. USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage (2016)
USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage, completes the trilogy of bad Nicholas Cage war movies, and is perhaps the worst of the lot. Directed by Mario Van Peebles, it’s a World War Two movie that ends up being more about surviving against shark attacks and is just silly. You’re much better off watching the scene in Jaws in which Robert Shaw’s Quint chillingly tells the same story.
1. Sniper: Special Ops (2016)
From director Fred Olen Ray, Sniper: Special Ops at least claims to be a war/action movie starring Steven Seagal, who’s of course best known for his action films. Though whether it can really be called an action film is questionable since Steven spends most of the film sitting down, mumbling and occasionally shooting people, giving a hugely disinterested and static lead performance.